The Supreme Court handed Internet services providers and privacy advocates a crucial victory on Wednesday when it decided to pass on an important Internet piracy case.

In refusing to hear the case, the justices rebuffed an effort by the recording industry to establish once and for all that Internet service providers should have to hand over the identities of suspected file-swappers who subscribe to their networks. They also tacitly rejected the notion that the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a legitimate tool for tracking down Internet pirates.